Start with a block
As scared and as closed as you or I
Fill it with stone
Your rocks and pebbles
A Boulder perhaps
To spare
Carve out the valleys
That the rains
May run
Fill crevices with trees
Woody branches to foster the calm
And roots to guide
The water
Down
Rub craggy edges and steep cliffs
With the ochre balm of thought
And cloak her broad sides in
Cool mantles of green
Now carve her a crown
Boldly embracing the sky
And draw with your finger
A path
Just wide enough
That the pilgrims may come.
Francis Chouler
Dharmagiri Sept 2017
© Francis Chouler